Patrick writes...

Gathering Diary - Day 1
Wednesday, August 4

I slept in a whole hour later than normal for a weekday, then dragged myself out of bed to get some last-minute errands run before it was time to leave for the airport. My morning rounds included a stop at the post office, to collect the last of the last-minute Gathering pre-registration payments, and a stop at the bank to deposit them and withdraw some cash that could be used to make change in Canada for fans who wanted to pay us in U.S. dollars. I had to visit two banks, because for some strange reason the first one didn't have any one dollar bills.

Back at home, I had enough time to finish packing and eat lunch before heading out to the airport. By the time I left, mostly cloudy had turned into steady rain, so the drive to the airport took a little longer than normal. Finding parking took forever, but inside the terminal there was barely a line at check-in or security. I checked two big bags crammed full of costume and con stuff, then headed to my gate at the far end of the airport. I got there with about a half hour to spare before boarding, but since the flight was departing out of Continental's regional terminal and not the international one, there was no duty-free shop that I could buy any gift booze at (sorry, Karine).

The flight itself was uneventful and only about half full. We landed at the Montreal airport ahead of schedule, then waited on the ground for about ten minutes for our gate to clear. Once off the plane, there was the usual fifteen-minute walk to customs, where the wait time was posted on the wall as 40 minutes. The long line that snaked back and forth between the velvet ropes was constantly moving, though, so that at least gave the illusion of progress. After a quick chat with the Canadian customs officer, I claimed my bags from where they were waiting by the carousel and went to get my rental car.

Airport renovations had claimed more of the arrivals area since my visit in February, including the rental car counter, so I headed straight out to the parking garage where a small mob of businessmen had convened around the Hertz office. I overheard the agent at the desk complaining that they were running out of cars and couldn't upgrade anyone to vans or luxury sedans, so I received several envious glances as I claimed the keys to the minivan I had reserved months before.

From the airport, it was off to Karine's house. I found my way to the freeway with no problem, and after that it was easy to find the right exit and follow the directions I had memorized in February of "left at the light, then right, right, right." I got a little surprise when I came up to the first right turn. Straight ahead, I could see the St. Lawrence River, which in February had been frozen over and invisible under the snow.

At Karine's place, we got right to work doing Gathering prep. When I opened my bag to unpack the pipe fittings I had brought for the art show displays, I discovered a little card saying that the T.S.A. had opened and checked my bag. Unfortunately, they didn't wrap the towel back around the boots for my costume before stuffing them back in the box with the pipe fittings, so the red paint on one of them had gotten all scuffed up. Karine got out some red acrylic paint and we tried to touch them up, but the color wasn't a very good match.

Knowing we had more important things to do, I set the problem aside and got to work instead on the special pieces we needed to make for the art show displays. Using Karine's tools, it took all of fifteen minutes to fabricate the six connectors we needed for the center posts of the display units. Setting those aside, we moved on to con badges and con packets. By the time Karine's husband Adam arrived home, we had nearly finished assembling all badges and we had stuck labels on all the con packet envelopes which would be stuffed the next day at the hotel.

For dinner, Karine made hamburgers and corn on the cob. Then we finished putting the lanyards on the badges and got everything packed up and ready to go for the next day. Around 11 pm, Karine downloaded the final PDF file of the program book Siryn had been working on nonstop for the previous week, and it was just before midnight that we headed off to the 24-hour copy shop at Bureau en Gros (the local equivalent of Staples) to place an order for 200 booklets. I pretty much stood there as Karine did all the talking since all the talking was in French, but I did make myself useful by running off some self-serve copies of the masquerade registration and walk-in registration forms.

It was closing in on 1 am by the time we got back to Karine's and decided to call it a night. I shared the futon in the living room with Peanut, a very friendly orange cat who is so big she has her own gravitational field. And that night I got what would turn out to be the longest stretch of uninterrupted sleep I would get until Monday night.

Revel writes...

August 8
Slept late again, but I had a mission. I went to find Chris Rogers to pre reg. for 2005. Spacie and I did find him still asleep in his room, along with a hung over Hudson, whose ears are already too sensitive from what I understand.

We did however get a small group together and ate on the revolving restaurant for the buffet, over priced, but most hotel food is and this was all you can eat. The city was nice to see from above and it was nice to watch the rain come in. The guy on the crane trying to commit suicide did put a slight damper on things, but he did come down.

We spent pretty much all early afternoon up top and only attended closing ceremonies. I won two art awards, one first place that I was not expecting to get, but not complaining, it was also the one that sold. I finally did get registered for Vegas and paid Chris the money for the buffet I owed him. After than it was time to collect art from the art show and pay for the thing that were bought.

Could not find people after that, many ended up leaving or just disappearing, Dinner was subway sandwiches that we found several blocks away up the big hill.

August 9
The morning started out with a bit of a hustle because Spacie and myself were set to go to La Ronde, but to save money, Aaron, Mara, Lynati, Greg and Alex Bishansky, and Emambu were all to move their things to our room, since we would not be there and it was just for one night. Took some effort but finally got people moving and I don’t think anything was left behind.

It was a good sized group to take to the park, not quite as large as the Coney Island group of last year but enough. I was surprised to see that the subway cars actually ran on rubber tires instead of rails. Karine also pointed out that they used wooden brakes, you could smell them at hard stops.

It was a great day for being outside, not hot at all. The park was bigger than Coney Island, but smaller than our local Six Flags in Houston called AstroWorld. There were however a LOT of people there and at first not all the coasters were going. So long lines were expected all day. We caught a few smaller rides and took the park tour tram, which was really nice and relaxing. Caught a round of mini golf and had lunch with a small group we had arrived with. On the way out we both bought drinks out of a coke machine but her’s was warm. The park attendants were kind enough to exchange it for a cold one for free.

After we grabbed some McDonald’s again we returned to find our room full, all 8 of the Rogue Squadron plus Mandolin and Kathy Pogge. Was a nice after con chat party plus we all joined together for a singing of Denis Leary’s @$$hole song. Not sure if Kathy sang or not, but was fun nonetheless

Sleeping arrangements were made and we all crashed.

August 10
As said before, mornings are not this crew’s strong point. But I managed to get them up and moving. Being that the road trip was my idea from the start I felt like I was in charge, or maybe I just like ordering people about, the world may never know. But bills were paid and we got fueled up and loaded to make our way back to Greg’s house in NY.

All the fuel was in liters and seeing a sign for .89 cents sounds great, till you remember it is in liters. (I have an 18 gallon tank which comes out to about 68 liters) So I got enough to makes sure I could make it to the next stop.

Easy to find our way back out and started South. So then we come to the US Customs and border, which for those who do not know now falls under department of Homeland Security. Just when you think the Canadian border guards are being up tight you get to meet the US border guards. These people literally act like they want you to be a terrorist so they can shoot you dead and get out some of their frustration. They are trained to ask reasonable questions and protect our country but did anyone think to train them in courtesy? Not even a thank you or welcome home.

We had one other stop in the Adirondack Park that I think was to search for illegal game hunting, but that went fast.

Greg and Alex’s mother was very hospitable and we ate well, and if anyone is interested they did get a new fridge. I went to bed early knowing it was another thousand or so miles of road ahead.

August 11 and 12
This is a two day entry because not much went on and because quite frankly it all felt like one long day. Basically, we didn’t stop. We stopped for fuel, and we stopped for restrooms, and we stopped at a Denny’s in Salem, Virginia for dinner, but other than that, we didn’t stop till we got back to Houston. We talked, played CD’s, most of it was a blur, I just hope I was awake when I was suppose to be, but we clocked it in at about 27 hours of total driving time.

After a brief nap Aaron and Mara returned to San Antonio and that brings to a close Le Gathering and Road Trip 2004.

Revel writes...

Journal part 2 Stuff about the con, how about that!

August 5
Thursday, Once again scheduled plans of departure were way off because no one wanted to wake up. Breakfast was Dunkin Donuts because the night before the refrigerator died and so did everything in it. Weather reports were sketch but we only hit a couple of light patches of rain, nothing to slow us up.

A small note about driving in NY, the people, even outside of Manhattan appear to all be emergency vehicle drivers, because everyone is driving like they have a person dying in the back seat. I am not a slow driver, but I try to exercise a little bit of caution when driving through narrow, near 400 year old, dinky town roads that do not appear to have been widened, just paved over. Crazy.

Upstate New York is very pretty, lots of places one can imagine where Xanatos would place a retreat (since I don’t think a specific location was determined) but we drove reasonable and made good time. Gas in NY is ungodly expensive compared to Texas. I will never complain about our prices again.

Now, we come to the border. When we arrived, there were two posts open and not a one of them appeared to be going fast. I was later told that the Customs agents were on strike but still had to work so they took their sweet time. About an hour and a half wait and I had to use the rest room nearly the whole time. Like sitting in a theater and not wanting to get up type feeling. I will admit that I made one little lie to the border agent, they did ask if we were armed or carrying any weapons and I did have my knife with me. The short of it is, I carry it when I go place that I am unsure of the security, like rest stops in some states, and I really, really had to go, so didn’t want to slow things even more.
Montreal was not far from the border, about half an hour I’d guess, but had to drive through a trench with no shoulder or escape, which is very, very unnerving. We survived. Our first exit was blocked off, had to double back and finally across the bridge to downtown.

We found a small group congregating in the lobby as a welcoming committee, was nice to see some faces that I had not seen in over a year. Hung out there for a while, Seth, Wingless, Sapphire, Kyt, Hudson, Chris Rogers, CKayote, and many others were there as well. I crashed pretty early, was road fatigued.

Now about the Hotel. An excellent location for people like us who were unfamiliar and could not read many signs. It was very easy to find. The lay out of the hotel was well thought out, with the convention levels close together and easy to access and we could stay in the lower floor till all hours and no one said a thing to us, because we are so far below the other guest that we can’t disturb anyone if we tried. The rooms were as advertised, or at least ours was. A nice double with two queens that we really needed on the last day, I’ll explain later.

Two minor complaints. The parking spaces in the basements were reeeeeeally narrow. Erik drives a Town Car, and to get between the lines he and I had exactly 8 inches of space door to door. Second complaint, which is very minor, was that good cheap food was quite a walk away, that’s just the sacrifice of a downtown hotel though, oh well.

August 6
Friday, first day of the convention itself. Spacie and I hunted about trying to find a breakfast place, settling on a bagel place next to about a block and a half from the hotel. I had a croissant and a sesame seed bagel. Was not too expensive, 7 bucks for the two of us.

I first went about locating the Art Room. Easy to do once I found Cindy, who was recruiting to help set up art. Naturally fair that if I want to set up art I should help set up the art space so I did. It went well enough, some of the joints were uneven or kept popping out. One over all comment I had heard was that the lighting was poor. It was, but we all survived and there was a lot of good stuff.

After set up I invaded the Round Robin, that despite our best efforts at keeping it PG slipped at some point or another. And of course there is a tape of it floating around.

The film crew came in and watched Greg’s Voice acting panel, this was the first time I’d say most of us had seen them, I could tell a lot of people froze right up, but they were very cool people and I’d say most warmed up to them. I did get to do a reading with Emambu, who is a very talented individual even if he’s too modest to admit it. He was Lexington and I was Brooklyn from the scene with Tom and Mary in Awakening part One. This was a good warm up for me because radio play auditions followed immediately after the panel and I was one of the first to go. Having been in the play last year I felt more confident in my ability and read the Broadway lines (not expecting to get the Broadway part the next day, but that’s irony for you.)

Opening Ceremonies was fun. One of my favorite parts is to see the show of hands of con-virgins and second timers. It always seems there are a great deal of virgins, but very few second timers. It’s like once you come twice you will do what ever you can to come again. The DVD info was good to hear, and yes my Dad’s birthday is December 7th. *evil grin* This was also the first time I had gotten to hear the Team Atlantis tape. At 2002 I missed the radio play all together, and 2003 I stayed at the auction, which ran into the Team Atlantis panel. Someday I’d really like to watch the teaser trailer that was played for the media with the kind of speakers and bass that Greg describes, till then I’ll just have to imagine it. Chris’s pitch for 2005 sounded really good, Vegas should be a lot of fun, just need to start saving some play money now.

Dinner was McDonald’s, I ordered nuggets, and some how ended up with a double big Mac. Not what I wanted and too far to walk to change it back so I ate it. Afterwards was mostly just hang out time. Catch up on what everyone had been doing. Went to the Blue Mug a Guest and enjoyed hearing the questions and asked a couple of my own, neither even slightly Blue, but was nice to get a change to ask Greg. The whole thing about whether he had read the original Heinlein “Starship Troopers” was important to me, since I didn’t feel the screen writer for the movie had. Got to bed about 2am I think.

August 7
Can’t even remember what I had for breakfast, must not have been very good. What I do remember was being approached my Hudson and being asked if I could drive Zaius Monkey to the Airport because his baggage never made it through customs and he had to go down and confirm it. At first I agreed. If we had left right then and there I may have even been able to get him there and back in time. But we became distracted. Our small group ended up down on the bottom floor where the film crew were shooting individual interviews and they wanted to see Aaron’s infamous Demona tattoo. So that ate half an hour and I found out I was in radio play. There was no way I could make it to the air port and back and neither could Emambu. Luckily Kai and Lexy offered and came through, big thanks to those two.

Not much later, my car was required again. Lynati needed more paint for her costume and we were all short on time. Aaron, love you like a brother, is not good with giving directions, or working with sketchy ones. Karine told him where a Home Depot was and we attempted to find it. What we ended up doing was spending half an hour cursing at one way streets, going the wrong way, illegal left hand turns, and some how I found a gravel road down by one of the bridges that cut back to a real street. See, driving video games do pay off. We finally got oriented and started down the right direction, but I had to let Aaron take over because I had radio play rehearsal.

The rehearsal was fun, for a minute there, while Greg was passing out scripts I thought I’d end up with Vinnie, but instead received Broadway. Not expected, but certainly fun to play.

Had just enough time to run down to the hotel store and get some snacks before the play itself. As many know now we read “The Journey” and though Broadway only had once scene I did it the best I could, even tried mimicking Bill’s voice, not sure how well it came out since we always sound different to ourselves.

The banquet soon followed and my only complaint was the lighting, not the food, the food was really good. The lighting was really poor for picture taking that was disappointing. We had some of the white wine, not sure who paid but was nice to have something besides just water. Our table consisted of myself, Spacebabie, Kathy Pogge, Yggdrasil, Chyna Rose, and Seri Wavelength. We had some good conversations. Everything from fandom stories, to alcohol, to farm stories, to politics.

Keith David did finally arrive and I felt bad because he seemed like he really wanted to eat, but at the same time be a good guest and answer questions. I did manage to ask him a question about Harrison Ford, which was for my mother who is the biggest Ford nut in the Central South West.

Had to check out of the Q&A early to get my costume together. For the most part, it was easy, the hard parts had been done already, which was trying to dye a suit to match the burgundy/maroon that Dracon wore. The hardest part was the jacket, I went through several thrift store jackets, but spent more on dye than I did on them. The hair, which completed the look, was done by Spacebabie, I sat in the bath tub and she used spray in hair color. Was hard for me to see but was told it came out wonderful. I didn’t have a skit in mind, thought about saying something when I got out on the floor, but went blank so I posed like Han Solo in Return of the Jedi and the crowd cheered. At the awards presentation I won the Thom Adcox memorial award, but sorry, I have not progressed enough to dropping my pants in front of the public yet.

After it was all over I washed my hair as best I could and went back down to convention level to hang out and chat till 3 am.

Revel writes...

Here is my 2004 Convention journal/road trip.

I apologize, this first part actually is just build up to the Gathering, but most of it is relative... or I thought so.

The Gathering 2004

Well, Let me start from the beginning. For me this vacation actually began on August 1st.

August 1
For the most part it was an uneventful day. Final preparations were made to Hyena, My 2003 Pontiac Aztek, as I waited for Spacebabie’s plane to arrive.

I feel I should explain how her name came about. For starters, she is a gold-beige color, but also it’s her attitude. The Aztek is a very unconventional looking car hard edges, subtle curves, but also has all kinds of electronics and features. It’s a love it or hate it kind of thing, I guess a lot like Hyena the character. All I really should say on that.

After the airport we bought road snacks, two way radios and I got some additional motor oil for when we got back.

The birth of the road trip was because I was not entirely sure where I would be living several months ago and to combat high airline prices, because the average price for a round trip ticket remained about $300 and often higher. I came up with the idea of the two of us just road tripping to Montreal. Not long after we finalized the idea, others hopped onto the road trip idea. The final count was eight people, Spacebabie, Aaron, Mara, Greg X, his brother Alex, Emambu, Lynati, and of course myself.

August 2
This is the day Aaron and Mara were to arrive from San Antonio, a casual 3 hour drive from Houston. They did arrive, but unfortunately much later than original planned. I had planned to rustle everyone up at about 4am, but we only went to bed about 2am, soooo we slept in a little later.

August 3
Tuesday morning, 5:30am, destination Pittsburgh, PA. I somehow, magic most likely, managed to get my three passengers to the car and on the road. They all immediately went to sleep again.

We made it out of Houston with no problems. Our route to Emambu’s place had been planned weeks before and I had studied it entirely. We first traveled East across Louisiana before turning north, cutting up Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee. I discovered that Tennessee is not a state you want to drive in if you are trying to cross the country at a fast pace. Tennessee has a lot of large hills and mountain roads that cops like to wait on, especially the blind side of a steep grade. Almost thought they tagged us once for sure, but it turned out to be the car in front of us. Aaron was driving at that point and I never did really go back to sleep after that. We traversed half of Tennessee, turning North again after Nashville, we hit that city at about rush hour. Don’t have to worry much about cops when you are crawling at 30 mph.

I noticed that not all states have those great big “Welcome to Blah Blah Blah” signs. We crossed into both Kentucky and Ohio without really even noticing. Did briefly see Three Rivers Stadium where the Cincinnati Reds play.

It was after Columbus though that we ran into our first bit of bad weather. Fog. Not a little fog, like I can only see 5 feet in front of my car fog. Not good when added to that both Aaron and I were both road fatigued. We stopped in West Virginia to switch one last time and I took us into Pittsburgh. The fog has cleared well but now it was almost dawn and crazy early to work drivers were about. There are few things more scary that 18 wheeler drivers thinking they are commanding something the size of a VW Beetle.
Emambu gave good directions though, we found his apartment just before 6am. With time zone change the first leg was completed in just about 24 hours.

August 4
We all slept pretty late, at least to early afternoon. Emambu, Mara and I went into town to get breakfast and coffee for those that wanted it, plus final check on directions to GregX’s house, not that they were that good. I hate Map Quest. It works well enough for major routes, but when it comes to small urban roads, always, ALWAYS double check with a local that the road has not be renamed or renumbered, or has a itty bitty street sign that no one can see in broad daylight let alone in the middle of the night and rain.

We packed up both cars, Erik’s “Mafia Cruiser” and “Hyena” and made our way out of town via the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This is where the radios came in. I recommend for any two car or more convoys that they should all have radios. They are great for coordinating stops and a lot of fun to shoot comments back and forth. Aaron’s dubbing of the lead car as “Red Leader” lead to the Rogue Squadron name.

As said before, the maps did give us a general idea of where we were going. And as we approached New Jersey, we became inundated. It poured, and I mean poured. The kind of rain that even with full speed wipers you cannot see more than ten feet in front of you.

We made the right exits however, across the Bridge and onto the East side of the Hudson. Then it was just a matter of getting to Croton. Much easier when you don’t drive pass the exit you need. This is on top of the fact that for some reason I get horrible phone reception so the last few turns to find the house required more effort than it should have.

Nevertheless we arrived, the rain stopped, and we all had food and a place to sleep. Many thanks to Greg’s mother for putting up with a bunch of worn out travelers, we all appreciated it.

Allaine writes...

Very long journal, I'm afraid.

Allaine's 2004 Gathering Journal

Day 1
Thursday, August 5, 2004

I left my house at around 10 AM for a 2 PM flight. When I got to the airport, I discovered two things. First, even though I was taking an international flight, my plane wasn't gated at US Airways International (Terminal A), but US Airways Express (Terminal F). Having been told already to park in Garage A, I had to drag all my luggage across the length of the airport.

A more infuriating discovery was that my flight had been cancelled. Since this was the second time my flight to Montreal had been cancelled in three days (the first time being Monday night, forcing me to scrap plans to catch a ride from the airport with Kathy and Alex Garg), I was understandably outraged. I was forced to take a flight that was leaving at 12:30, but I would be making a stop in Boston for ninety minutes. I didn't actually make it through Customs in Montreal until 6 PM. Fittingly enough, I needed two buses to get from the airport to the hotel, but that didn't happen until around 7 PM.

At least I wasn't poor Alexandria, who wasn't allowed to board her flight because she didn't bring the right birth certificate. Finding out she wouldn't be arriving until Friday was a further disappointment.

That being said, I was able to check into my room without incident, and the first people I found were my other two roommates. Chyna Rose was eating in the lobby restaurant when I found her, so I joined her for dinner. Later Seri Wavelength found us there once she arrived. We talked for a while, then went upstairs. I met Jade Griffin for the first time as she worked on her Demona doll, but she was the only other person I saw. Actually, that's not entirely true. Someone said they'd spotted Karine going to the 21st floor, so I went up there to see if the Con Suite was open yet. I did locate the Con Staff, but since they were quite busy discussing things I probably wasn't supposed to hear, I waved and crept back to my room. Since Alexandria was still at home, I got a bed all to myself while Chyna and Seri shared the other bed. I guess I should say here that our room was very nice. It wasn't enormous, but the beds left plenty of room for two, and the bathroom was spacious. I went to sleep around 11 PM

Day 2
Friday, August 6, 2004

The three of us didn't really leave our room until around ten in the morning. Although we were hungry, we decided to register first, since registration was about to begin. I saw many familiar faces for the first time when I got there - Ellen, Kathy, Spacebabie, and Whitbourne foremost among them. I also got to meet some first-timers, including Dylan's fiancée Stormy. We talked for a while, but since the registration was running late, I went to breakfast with Seri and Chyna. I had the buffet, which was delicious. In fact, I got the buffet the following two days as well, and ate so much that I never needed lunch. It's all about the budget, knowhutahmean?

After breakfast we registered, and I got my packet, including two copies of the Phoenix Gate anthology, one for me and one for Mooncat, who unfortunately couldn't come this year. They did a fabulous job on the Anthology, as it was my first time seeing the finished result from cover to cover. I would read all the stories, including my own, more than once over the next few days. Then I went to the Art Room, where I got to meet two people I'd been looking forward to meeting. I feel both have a significance for me as both a fanfic writer and reader. When I first started reading Gargoyles fanfics a couple years ago, I sought out Jennifer, aka CrzyDemona, and asked her where I could find good Demona fics. She referred me to Madame Destine, whose stories continue to be among my favorites to this day. Plus Jen has a hell of a reputation around the fandom, and even if our politics don't match, she strikes me as extremely smart about a lot of things. The second person was Christine Morgan. As a writer who dreams about being published some day, Christine is an obvious inspiration to me. I didn't buy any of her books, but I did grab one of the Demona T-shirts Jen was selling, as well as an official convention T-shirt for my younger brother.

At last the first panels began. I attended Spacebabie's General Round Robin, where we had the unenviable task of creating a story about how Demona and Macbeth's paths crossed while white-water rafting in the Grand Canyon. Most memorable, I think, was a running gag about "dinghies". I also brought out my tape recorder for the first time. I taped several panels throughout the day, both for my own memories and for Mooncat's benefit. Unfortunately, I managed to tape over the GRR panel a couple days later. Oops.

After the round robin, most people went to the Voice Acting Seminar. Keith David was not present, unfortunately. In fact he didn't arrive until Saturday night. But Greg did a very good job. Lucky Seri got to be critiqued on her reading of lines for the second year in a row. Later I also got to read lines for a scene as young Tom. There was also this interesting anecdote about Carol Channing in her bra . . .

At this point I went back to my room. Two seconds later I realized there were new bags in the room, so I hurried back down to registration and confirmed that my final roommate, Princess Alexandria, had indeed checked in. It took me a while to track her down, but we talked for a while until the Opening Ceremonies began. When I went downstairs, I did locate another person who I rarely email but love talking to, Mara Cordova, as well as a few other familiar names.

There I found myself on one of eight teams in the Clan Olympics. I hadn't been planning to devote any time to it, but I was roped in. I participated in two events that night, including a game where sixteen people fought for balls in a big container and ferried them back and forth across the room. I quickly figured out that I couldn't hold many balls at once, so I started searching for balls with lettering on them. One of the balls I found had "1-UP" written on it, like a video game icon. A fateful selection.

Afterwards I learned two things - we were in first place by two points, and the 1-up ball could be used to save one team from elimination. I could either save the eighth-place team, or hold onto the ball in case my team was in last place at some point. Since I didn't know the rules of the game, I didn't see the point of being the nice guy, so I held onto it. Later I discovered that apparently eliminated teams are allowed to make life difficult for the remaining teams. Oops again.

After Opening Ceremonies, which also featured a taped greeting from Ed "Hudson" Asner and my second time listening to the tape of the Gargoyles/Team Atlantis crossover, I stayed for the MGT3K panel hosted by Jade. When she found out I had a tape recorder, I lent it to her so she could tape the show and transcribe it later. (She still has that tape, in fact, and I need to make sure she has my address so she can mail it to me when she's done.) It was very funny, but I only stayed for about half an hour. Then I went out to dinner with Alexandria, Ellen, and Dylan at an Italian restaurant. I love the panels and everything, but it's especially moments like this that I come to the Gathering - being able to spend an hour or two alone with writers and readers and friends who I don't normally get to see, talking about things we normally only discuss via email.

We returned to the hotel by 10 PM, so I could rejoin my team for the second Olympics event, Shot in the Dark. We didn't do that great here and dropped to third. This introduced an element of anxiety in my team (which included my roommate Chyna Rose), and we decided to let yet another team burn. Now we had two teams that hated us. Unfortunately that event took over an hour to finish, so I didn't get ready for bed until almost midnight. This was my first night sharing a bed with Alexandria, but there was enough space in the bed that we didn't have to touch at all if we didn't want to, and everyone slept well.

Day 3
Saturday, August 7

My Olympics team needed me for Trivia Torture (I think they wanted me to be tortured), but I regretfully (ha ha) passed and went to the Thrill of the Chase panel. The hosts were Christine, Spacebabie, and Ellen. Ellen is a close friend of mine, so I would have gone no matter what the topic was. What we discussed were chase scenes, both in fics and in movies, since chase scenes are so often a part of films.

After that I took a break from the Gathering for a couple hours and went sightseeing in Old Montreal with Alexandria. We ended up shelling out $40 for a thirty-minute carriage ride that let us take in a lot more of the sights than if we'd walked. I was still beat when we got back in time for Really Hard Pictionary. I learned that my team had fallen into fifth place in the Trivia event, which meant we failed to use the 1-UP ball for a third time. So three teams were gone, all thanks to us. Although we were in last now, so I fail to see how we profited from it. Sure enough, the "spirits" conspired to make my Pictionary round more difficult. I had to draw without my glasses (I'm nearsighted, so that had absolutely no effect really), and only one team member (Michael) could guess. Plus I drew one of the harder packets. However, at the risk of sounding a bit immodest, I am a damn good Pictionary player, and I did manage to pull our team into a three-way tie for first before the last team passed us.

That led to a final bonus event where we had to pull colored balls from a bag. We found ourselves in a tie with Mara's team for last, but because of a tiebreaker we ended up in fourth. Since it was our last opportunity to use the 1-UP ball, and since I like Mara a lot, I immediately offered it to her team, but they told me to hang onto it. So my decision not to save them (which must have made a few people scratch their heads in disbelief) left four teams in the running. But we wouldn't find out who won until the Scavenger Hunt the following morning.

Next was the Radio Play, where the Actors read from The Journey, an episode I hadn't seen in a long time. The Actors did a very nice job, especially Stormy as Cagney (that was a very plaintive meow), the guy who played Vinnie, and the Macbeth-Yale eruption.

For the second straight year I passed on the Banquet, so instead Alexandria and I, after voting in the Video Contest, found ourselves having dinner out. We'd hoped to find one of the restaurants we saw in Old Montreal, but it's a funny place over there. Saturday night, and everything seems to be closed! After stumbling around for half an hour, we eventually settled on another Italian place in a completely opposite direction from where we first looked. It was called Guido Angelina, and all I can say is three things. The wait was brief, the portions were huge, and the food was excellent. What more can a guy ask for? Well, a good conversation partner, I guess, and Alexandria and I talked for a very long time about each other's stories. Admittedly, she was my roommate, but I probably spent more time with Alexandria than anyone else this year, and I loved every minute of it.

After we got back I decided to shower and shave before the Masquerade, only to have Seri return just as I was going to shower and announce that Keith had finally arrived and was answering questions downstairs. They were nice enough to wait for me to finish showering before leaving. I got to ask Keith a question about his fight scene from They Live, but the best part was the woman in the next banquet room shrieking Sinatra's "My Way" during karaoke, and Keith says, "Somebody shoot that horse!" Hee hee hee!

Then we had Masquerade. By now everyone knows about the incredible gargoyle costume someone wore (I never did get his name - Kurol?), and I shudder to think of how much time and effort it took to get the costume together. Besides him, the best costumes were Lynati as Ophelia (poor Lynati didn't make it until just as the judges were returning with the results - amazingly, this was the first time I even saw Lynati, who was so helpful before the 2003 Gathering), Cindy as Titania, and someone I didn't know as Ekidna - if it hadn't been for the other guy, I would have picked her as Best in Show, partly because she picked one of the lesser-known characters and did a great job with her reptilian look. I got plenty of pictures, because goodness knows, we had a LOT of costumes this year, and everyone looked great. The only snafu I was aware of - Seri's Pack Fox costume refused to stay in one piece, and she wasn't able to wear it. At least Chyna didn't have any trouble with her Elisa Maza costume.

(Karine made the sensible choice of playing Fox from Walkabout, since it turns out she's six months pregnant. I'm in awe that she was able to continue chairing this convention in her condition. She also had a very nice medieval costume on earlier in the day.)

Later that night I talked to Kathy for a while, and she assured me that I wasn't completely crazy for expecting Andrea to find out about Demona and her sister every time I began to read a Madame Destine story. _That's_ why evil looks so good. It's because she has it so bad :D

After that, I sang "An Innocent Man" by Billy Joel for karaoke. I had hoped to sing "The Bitch is Back", in honor of my favorite character, but the computer was being difficult and I had to choose from an abbreviated list. It's a song I've sung before, but it's not exactly dance music, and wisely people took the time to continue their conversations. Eventually I went back to my room, where Alexandria and I spoke to Mooncat for a while over the phone before the four of us went to bed.

Day 4
Sunday, August 8

Last day of the Gathering. This time last year, I was going to leave the Gathering as soon as closing ceremonies ended, so I counted the hours and got very depressed. This year my flight wasn't until Monday, so I was able to enjoy this day a little better. Which was a good thing, because I had an Adult Round Robin panel to moderate first thing in the morning. Although this did prevent me from joining my Olympics team for their last event.

Anyway, there were a lot of events going on Sunday morning, so my Adult RR panel had five guests - Alexandria, Ellen, Spacebabie, Alex Garg, and Denis Malkavien. For my first time attending an adult RR, I thought it went very well. Despite selecting names randomly, I couldn't have picked a better pairing than the one we got, Fox Xanatos and Gargoyle-Elisa. I still have to transcribe my tape from that panel, but it went VERY well, and everyone went twice. I also read what would have been my entry in the Reading Contest, had it not been cancelled. They seemed to like it.

After that, I went to the Art Room to do some voting, and discovered the Phoenix Gate Anthology signing was taking place, so I took my seat and signed a lot of copies, as well as getting my copy signed. Unfortunately Summer Jackel and CS Hayden weren't there, but I did get little stickers with their signatures on them. I also bought a lot of trading cards from the Morgans, and I put a bid on one of Cindy's drawings. And since Keith gave his Mug-a-Guest in that room, I had a great seat. I got to ask him another question, this time about his experience working on a sitcom called The Job. This was a definite improvement on the previous night, since Sunday's Mug was cozier, better lit, and it was easier to hear.

At that point there was nothing to do but attend Closing Ceremonies. The 2005 Gathering Committee really sold their Las Vegas convention, and I registered for it as soon as the Ceremonies were over. I also got Keith to sign Mooncat's Anthology for her. And I learned my Clan tied for third in the Olympics. Yay! I also had the winning bid for Cindy's picture of Cowboy Alexander riding Bronx and telling him to "Giddyap!"

Afterwards I had dinner with Ellen, Alexandria, Leo, Sadistic Cow, and Alex Garg in this deserted food court before rejoining Seri and Chyna and about thirty other people for Laser Tag. It was my first time playing as an adult, but I had a lot of fun (except for the twelve block walk) and got extremely sweaty. I selected "Get the other team to hate me" strategy, and I believe I succeeded quite well. By then most people vanished into their rooms, so I waited in my room for a while before I slipped into bed with Alexandria one last time and fell asleep.

Day 5
Monday, August 9

Not much to say. I woke up at 8 AM, had breakfast, said goodbye to my roommates, and took a taxi to the airport. I got very emotional a couple times, especially when I left a goodbye message on Seri's voicemail and almost lost it in the middle of an airport terminal, but I was able to keep control. The first couple days ARE a very sad time for me, however, because I won't see these people for another year, and 99.9% of the time, it's the only time I see my fellow fans. So I'd like to thank Ellen, Kathy, Dylan, Mara, Stormy, Spacebabie, and everyone else I spoke to at the Gathering this year. I do hope to talk to you all more via the Internet while we wait for the 2005 Gathering.

I had the best roommates this year, I couldn't have asked for anything more from them, so Alexandria, Seri, and Chyna - I trust we will all continue to be friends for some time to come.

Other than the cancellation of the Reading Contest, Karine and the Convention staff did a fabulous job this year, and I had an incredible time. I hope the Las Vegas crew will be able to match it.

And thanks to Greg and Keith for being there. It was a show unlike all others.

Sincerely, Allaine

Greg Bishansky writes...

Gathering Journal Part 5
Monday, August 9th

Woke up with Revel calling my room to make sure Alex and I got up and checked out of our room. So, woke, showered, moved all our crap next door into Revel's room, and went down to the lobby to check out.

A bunch of people were going to Six Flags La Ronde, but I declined as I never liked amusement parks too much. So, just hung around, had a soda, and decided that while I was in Canada, I was going to get myself a Cuban Cigar, so I head to the gift shop and buy one. One of those big, fat Montecristos... just like what Castro smokes. So I take it outside to smoke it, and am out there, when who comes out but Keith David, looking for Y2Hecate, who unfortunatly had already left. Keith sees that I have a Cuban and I tell him where he can get one. I finish my cigar and head back in... not the fun begins, cause no one ever told me you weren't supposed to inhale. Aw well, was only a little dizzy for about an hour.

So we spend a lot of time just chilling in the lobby, Aaron, Mara, Hudson, Lynati, Seth, Flanker, Kythera, Kaelyan, Dancer, Wingless, Kathy Pogge. Talking fic, and all sorts of other things. Keith comes back with a cigar, and posed for a pic with the rest of us

Afterwards, some of us were hungry and went up to get food and pick up food for others, Hudson handed me a few bucks to get him a quarterpounder as I recall, so we went up a few blocks to that train station mall, and did not go into McDonald's. We got ourselves Chinese food first, it was Ethan, Aaron, Lynati, Kathy and I. We chatted fic and went to McDonald's and came back, an hour late, but everyone got food.

We all hung out for a bit, before Hudson, Chris and everyone had to go. Afterwards the rest of us, Aaron, Mara, Lynati, Emambu, Alex and I along with Kathy and Mandi retreated up to Revel and Spacebabie's room and chatted more fic and later, Revel and Spacebabie came back, and the conversation went all sorts of places, weird car stories, accidents we had as kids, you know, the get to know each other better discussions. This went on well into the night. Finally, Kathy and Mandi called it a night, and we went to sleep early (well, early for us) as we had to clear out my noon the next day), and so all eight of us manage to fit into this room.

Tuesday, August 10th

Woke up, in a timely fashion, we all did, and began taking all our crap down to the cars... and we had a lot of crap. Revel checked out of the room, and now the Rogue Squadron was back on the road. We bid a fond farewell to Montreal and stopped for gas and snacks. Finally we came to the border. First we got out and went over to the Duty Free shop to get our tax refunds, and bought a couple of shot glasses. Before heading to the border.

Emambu's Mafia Cruiser was in front of us, and got pulled over to the side for inspection. This of course made us nervous. But we were just questioned and allowed to drive. Emambu followed shortly. Turned out that "The Department of Homeland Security was quite interested in Lynati's tail" quote Aaron.

So we pull over to the side, and go to Subway's for lunch... it was built in a shack, but it was still Subway's. And we all rejoiced at being back on U.S. soil. We ate, and went on our way, though it turns out that this time we'd make more stops than on the way up. We had to stop for gas at some point in a back water NY town (que the "Deliverance" theme). Also on the way back, Emambu ran over a backpack lying in the middle of the high way, and stopped to check his tire, which was fine. So finally we reach the Tappan Zee Bridge at around eight at night, and get back to my place.

It's a nice night so we eat dinner out on the deck, we eat Italian, and we enjoy our last night hanging out together before the next con. Come up to my room, where Lynati brought the season six of Buffy set to watch the Musical episode since some people wanted to see it and never saw it. When I first watched that episode, I hated it. Years later, I enjoyed it. Go figure ;)

Then we watched this link Seth gave us of these re-edited and re-dubbed GI Joe Public Service announcments gone horribly wrong. Laughed our asses off before all going to sleep.

BODY MASSAGE!

Wednesday, August 11th

Woke up, and showered and dressed and waited for everyone else to get up. Packed up the cars and all decided to go for one last breakfast at the Croton Diner, so we headed down there, and got a look of shock from the Host there when I went in and said "yes, I need a table for seven people" ;). I ordered the Chile Con Carne and Chedder Cheese Omelate. Forget what everyone else had. But we ate, and breakfast was good.

Finally was time for us all to go our separate ways. Lynati got into The Mafia Cruiser with Emambu and headed back to Pittsburgh, and Aaron and Mara piled into Hyena for the very long haul down to Houston Texas.

Had a great time, really needed this since I didn't get a vacation last summer, and I can't wait till Las Vegas next summer.

Chameleongirl writes...

Here it is, as asked - my Gathering Journal.

What I did on my non-Summer Vacation.

Tuesday & Wednesday.
Oh the joys of an early flight and insomnia - being awake since 2 am and then travelling for 36 hours resulted in worse than usual travel sickness. I spent 2 days curled up in a chair at the Auberge sipping water and nibbling bread, reducing all my sightseeing plans to nothing.

Thursday.
I, literally, dragged myself to the hotel where I dozed in the foyer trying to spot Garg fans as they appeared. Some were pretty obvious :). I finally spotted Talyesin (along with other staff) and I got a big twirly hug (I managed to repress my puke reflex). I also met Liz, Taylor and Karlyl who were to be my roomies. Karlyl, Taylor and I lounged in the foyer chairs (so comfy) and waited for Kelly to arrive.
When she finally turned up there was much hugs and hellos and we all went out for food. I didn't eat, since I was still feeling ill, but talking and laughing and just being around fun people made me feel better (The Gathering â€" a cure for any ill). We were supposed to go out for tea with the staff, but that got bumped so instead we went to a 24 hour coffee place.

Friday.
Breakfast was found, DDR wasn't. Kelly and I walked all over Montreal looking for an arcade, only to miss by about 2 blocks.
Instead we decided to get back on time for Registration, where we hung out, volunteered for the Clan Olympics and waited for the staff to appear :)
After registering we hung out a bit then headed out to Con Virgin 101, hosted by Kelly. Not a lot of people showed up and most of those that did were late, so there was some repetition. But it was fun. Kelly did well, I met some new people, we all ate the free lollies.

The hotel pool was fun, but kinda cold. If you are going to heat a pool, please make sure it is at least close to body temperature!
While we were waiting for Opening Ceremonies, Kelly, Kyffin, Ethan and I all practised the skit Kelly had arranged for the Masquerade. It was fun and I almost forgot about the fact that I would have to perform in front of real people.

Opening ceremonies were a blast! Taylor furiously worked on a Green Dragon mascot for our Clan (it was great â€" he is a fantastic artist) and it was done just in time for the first event. Abe and Maui hijacked the room and made Kyffin and I scramble for plastic balls so Karlyl could stuff them down Kelly's shirt. Kyffin had the idea of using a blanket to collect a larger number of balls, but I couldn't grab hold of the right corner â€" people were shoving us and grabbing all our balls, so we gave up and just did it the same as everyone else. Unfortunately the time wasted meant that we came last, saved by the presence of a bonus ball.
After the commotion died down I got to hear the famous spiel from Greg. It was interesting, but long. By the time it all ended I was hungry and had a headache, so Kelly, Kyffin, Liz, Taylor, Ethan and I all went out to Le Marche.
It was *busy* and noisy. But the food was good, especially the dessert :)
We had to get back to the hotel though â€" the second Clan Olympics event was due to begin. We had to wait a while for our turn, so the others actually fell sleep waiting. The second event was easier to play, all we had to do was throw a ball at a target in a darkened room. We got a few points, enough to keep us alive. By that time we were all totally stuffed, so we went back to our room and just crashed.

Saturday.
First event up was more Clan Olympics, trivia this time. We were doing great â€" we answered heaps of questions, got to torture a couple of people, had bonus cards that were supposed to save our butts. But, on the last question a member of an eliminated team (who were allowed to interfere in game play) came over and confiscated the one card that would have won us the game. They pretty much decided that we weren't allowed to win and kicked us out. After that our team decided to leave and find some DDR, walking those two extra blocks mentioned earlier.
We got back in time to watch the Radio Play. It was great, the VA's were perfect.
Next was the Banquet, which, while the food was ok, was made all the better by having Greg sit at our table. (Though the moan of disappointment made when we realised we wouldn't have Keith, and Greg's reaction to that, were even more amusing)
I didn't actually say much, I just couldn't think of anything. But it was still cool.

I would have liked to stick around for the Q&A, but we had to go get ready for the Masquerade. One last practise and we were ready (Karlyl was in stitches after we showed it to her). Oh the nervousness ...
All the costumes we saw while waiting were absolutely fabulous, I am in total envy of their imagination and sewing skills :)
We were up first, but I managed not to have a breakdown. The only bit we fluffed was the lighting â€" the dimmed lights went unnoticed, and I missed my cue to scream.
Still, it was fun and the costumes I saw were great!
I got a ribbon :D

I would have hung around for the karaoke party afterwards, but that really wasn't my thing, so I went to bed. When everyone came back later, I got out of bed and socialised. Liz wanted to go up to the Con Suite and give Greg the con badge she had drawn him, so we all went up there and talked and watched live action Sailor Moon til 4am.
My head is still boggling over that.

Sunday.
Today was a lazy day. We all just hung out in the dealers room and talked. I was still there when Keith David came in for his Mug a Guest, so stayed and listened to him talk.
I love his voice..
Closing Ceremonies were good â€" I finally caught up with Hecate and Venus! I gave them monkies.
When pre-Reg fro next year opened I ran out to the only ATM that I knew would give me money so I could sign up. Yup, that's right â€" I'm off to Vegas next year.
While in line I chatted with Venus some more and got to meet Pixlz. I really regret not catching them earlier, but at least for next year I'll know what they look like :)
Since Keith was still signing autographs I stood in line again and got him to sign the menu from Saturday night. I have my very first celebrity autograph, I'm so proud ^_^

After getting some food we went up to the con suite for the party (Mara showed off her cool new art), then went room hopping, playing video games â€" I won a game! That never happens to me, so I think the celebratory dance was warranted ^_^
I went off with Kyt to collect the art I bought from her, so I also got to see more gaming and to say goodbye to others that were leaving in the morning.
We tried to be good and sleep early so we could get up in time for La Ronde, but silliness seems to be inherent in all the friends I make, so we were up late doing the sort of things that are only funny at 1am in the morning ^_^

Monday.
La Ronde! I hadn't been to an amusment park in a veeery long time, so I was really looking forward to it. I had promised to go on the coasters, but I had to get them to force me- I'm afraid of things like that. We waited in line, then waited some more, it took an hour, but then I was finally strapped in (second from front!) and then the fear set in.
It was fun ride, but I was freaking out *before* it started. The only coherent words I made during the ride were “OH MY GOD!!” repeated frequently and loudly.

I had fun.

The other rides were good, but having to wait in line for an hour for each really sucked. I didn't want to go on the Vampire with the others, so I got to sit in the shade and relax while they boiled in the sun :)
Finally, at 8pm we decided to go back to the hotel. A teary farewell was had for Ian, then we went out for tea, once again ending up at the 24 hour coffee place. Damn they got a lot of business from us that weekend.
Once again, we tried to sleep early, but that was a futile hope. Finally sometime past 1 sleep claimed us all.

Tuesday.
Kelly woke up early, but my brain refused to engage properly, so I just lay there and tried to get both my eyes open at the same time. Eventually everyone was up and packing. It was sad, because it meant that goodbyes were coming.
I hate goodbyes.
Kelly left with much sadness by all. Liz decided to stalk Keith David one last time and buy souvenirs and I checked back into the hotel for a few more days.
Finally Liz and Taylor left too, so Karlyl and I went out to find some lunch in the city. We had a nice walk and bought some stuff in Chinatown, then it was time for Karlyl to go too.
Now I was lonely. The new room was nice (they gave me free chocolate) but it would have been better if my friends were here. So I ate chocolate and watched Scooby Doo 2.

Wednesday.
My new room included free breakfast an internet access, so off I went upstairs to indulge. Afterwards I went for walk into the city and ended up back in Chinatown again. On the way back I made sure to pass by some buildings that caught our eye the day before. Karlyl â€" remember that creepy restaurant with the rotting dummies? Well, it was actually open, and the dummies *were* whispering as you walk past.
Very creepy.

I had tea in the hotel restaurant then went back to the room and watched Van Helsing. Tomorrow was the day I had to leave, so I decided to sleep.

Thursday.
Time to leave. I packed and checked out then had a nice ride out to the airport. I got to see the rest of the city in daylight. Dorval airport sucks, very disorganised and kinda cruddy. Plus my plane was delayed, but they didn't tell us. Vancouver airport is better, but still chaotic. I like travelling by plane, I just hate airports.

I saw the Rockies by air. They are magnificent.
I also finished reading the Phoenix Gate Anthology on the plane. There are some fantastic stories and artwork in it, 'Dust and Ashes' made me cry.

Friday.
Didn't exist for me. Huzzah for the International Date Line.

Saturday.
Home, finally. Mum and Dad picked my up from the airport in Melbourne and we drove straight home, stopping only for a quick lunch. I hung around their place till I had the energy to drive home, then I got on the net and tried to catch up with my LJ backlog. I gave up around 11.30, seeing as how I had been awake (save for occasional naps) for 48 hours, and went to bed.

And here ends my very first Gathering Adventure.

(I came all the way from Australia to meet you, and I barely said 2 words. Go figure)

Greg Bishansky writes...

Gathering Journal Part 4
Sunday, August 8th

Woke up, showered and dressed and wandered around, stopping to chat with people. At some point I went to breakfast with Aaron, Mara, Revel, Spacebabie, Hudson, Chris, and I think Kaelyan and Dancer were there too. Breakfast was a buffet on a revolving restaurant on top of the hotel. Had eggs, bacon, a bagel with smoked salmon, hash browns, sausage, orange juice. It was pretty good.

First excitement of the day was as we were eating, the restaurant revolved and we got a view of a man on top of a crane two blocks away surrounded by police, the man was obviously attempting suicide. Weird thing is that according to the waitress, it was the second time within a month that someone went up there to jump. But just like last time, this guy did not jump and climbed down.

After breakfast, we just hung out on the bottom floor waiting for Closing Ceremonies to start, which started late. I also finally received my copy of "The Phoenix Gate Anthology", so was happy, since mine had been misplaced. Closing Ceremonies came and went, and then Keith David started signing autographs. I had him sign my badge and my copy of the Anthology. Aaron came buy and showed him his tattoo. Keith's reaction to the Demona tattoo was priceless, he stared blankly for about twenty seconds then said "Are you sh---ing me?.... That's fabulous." Keith rocks.

So, Closing Ceremonies ends, and a bunch of people are going to play Laser Tag. For some reason I was not in the mood, I was tired. I ended up in the con suite for the Dead Dog Party. The Con Staff was winding down, and while the party was mostly con staff, I was welcome to hang out, pizza as ordered and I contributed cash, and Siryn and I had a few drinks and traded war stories (what I call work stories). Siryn's had a few interesting jobs while I've worked in the same Barnes & Noble for the past two and a half years, so we both had stories. Funny enough, usually you'd assume that your perfect drinking buddy would be another guy, but Siryn turned out to be the drinking buddy I always wanted.

Let me know if you'll ever be in NYC or the NYC area Si, we'll go get some drinks :)

Mara eventually comes up, and the con staff kicks everyone out. I don't blame them, I did it last year, they deserve time to themselves. They earned it. Told Karine she did a great job, and hugged Jen good bye. Then went down to the lobby, and Mara and Siryn did some bonding, chatting about life and other things. I really respect the both of them a great deal.

Aaron, Hudson and the rest of the Laser Tag crew came back, and there were plans to go play fighting games, but they never really panned out (as far as I know), so some of us hung out in the lobby.

The rest of the evening is a blurr right now, but I went to sleep around two in the morning, that much I remember.

Francois Ferland writes...

Gathering Of The Gargoyles 2004

This year was my first convention, and I was almost unable to attend because of my work and a very limited budget. Still, I got lucky enough to get a week off and the money problem was resolved by staying at my sister who lives in Montreal (a few hours away from my home in Quebec city).

Friday

I got to the Delta shrotly before noon. At first, I was a bit anxious at being there, since I didn't know anybody and hadn't been involved with the fandom at all except for posting a few questions on Ask Greg a year ago. That, plus being a shy guy who has problem feeling comfortable with strangers, made me afraid of spending the whole con alone.

I began by going to the Con Virgin 101 seminar. There was only about five or six of us, but it was still fun. I was very hesitant to speak at first because my spoken english isn't all that hot, so jumping into a conversation is kinda hard. Still, I met a few people, got their business card and got a bit reassured about the other people at the con.

I then decided to go to the voice seminar with Greg. I was disappointed at first that Keith couldn't make it, but that didn't last long once Greg started talking. Man, I had no idea he was this young! Or at least, that he acted so casual around us fans. Reading his responses on Ask Greg for years made me build a very different mental image of himself, but I like the real version better :). He gave a lot of good tips about speed, following other people's cues and the importance of interplay between voice actors. I never realized just how important finding the character's motivation behing each line was. There were several readings by fans, from Awakenings Part V, MIA and Thrill of the Hunt.

After that, I took it upon myself to take part in the radio play audition, despite being scared like all hell of speaking in front of so many people. We waited in line for a while until we could get scripts, and I started talking to a guy named Michael next to me. He was really nice and very good with his voice, and made me a bit more comfortable talking to people despite my horrible accent. The documentary makers from Disney then stopped in front of us and asked us to play our part. When they got to me, I think I must have stayed there, laughing nervously for about aminute before taking the plunge and reading the part of Lexington. That part better be on the DVD after all the stress they put me through :). Then I finally got to audition before Greg, and he made me repeat to whole thing from the back of the room with great anger, and I sounded a lot better, because my voice tends to break up when I'm speaking too softly. I had a lot of chances to be picked up, since there were a lot of parts available this year.

I then headed to the dealers room and bought the convention t-shirt (it'd so cute, it'S got a mounty beaver on the back of the con mascot!) and the Phoenix Gate Anthology. I saw a lot of very good art, including Artemis Prime's Warworld Starscream (which I had already seen on a Transformers message board I usually hang out on). There was a lot of stuff up for auction, which was a shame since I didn't have much money to spend. After that I hung out with a bunch of people in the hall in front of the elevators. One of those was an artist (I didn't catch her name though) who was showing us all the pretty gargoyles she had drawn (including lots of naughty ones, especially the seven deadly sins :) ). After that I heard people talking about the banquet so I asked at the registration if it was too late to buy a ticket and they said yes unfortunately. If I can make it next year, you bet I'm going to pre-register for it.

By 16h40 I was hungry as all hell, having only had some cereals for breakfast. Fortunately I saw a guy with some McDonalds who told me he got it from a restaurant one block uphill from the hotel, so I probably beat some record running there, eating a trio and getting back within 15 minutes for the opening ceremony.

The ceremony was very fun, with the Clan Olympics highjacking the place for their first match. It made me regret not signing on. The plans for the 2005 con with the whole incorporation thing was very neat, and I hope it makes it easier for people like me to make a trip there. Greg then gave us a date for the first season DVD, yeah! Spread the word to everyone people, it needs to sell well to warrant the second season because that's where all my favourite episodes are! Oh yeah, Greg's 'manual' Power Point presentation for the DVD was quite... impressive *snickers*. It was fun to hear the tape from several people who worked on Gargoyles, including the great Ed Asner. I was glad to finally see the original pitch for the series, as well as all the stuff people kept talking about on the net like the pitch for Dark Ages and New Olympians and the now famous Bad Guys leica reel. It hurts not to be able to talk about it, because it was so cool! And although I haven't seen Atlantis, hearing Marina Sirtis playing Demona on the unmade episode was great. That, plus the fact that there was a lot of grunting and animal noises made quite a few people laugh hysterically!

After the ceremony, I put a flag on Quebec City on the map of where the fans come from, then stayed for the Gargoyles MST3K. It was the first time I was seeing a MSTing live and it was fun, although it was hard to follow because lots of people talked at the same time. We saw Kingdom, Revelations and Walkabout; I wish I had been witty and quick enough to participate.

I finally went home to my sisters at around 21h20. I was geting tired and didn't want to miss the subway. If I had been able to afford the hotel, I would have stayed for the Blue Mug-A-Guest. Not that I had questions of my own, but I'm sure there were a lot of twisted minds there...

Saturday

My alarm clock went off at 8h30, but I didn't get up until 9h05. I was really tired after watching a movie last night with my sister and her boyfriend.

I got to the con just in time for 'Thrill of the Chase'. Although I've never really written anything, it was a fun panel with discussions about physical but also emotional chases and epic journeys as well.

After that, I went to Greg's Mug-A-Guest. He told us Keith wouldn't make it until late today, and I started to fear he might not make it afterall. There were a few questions about the show (Gorebash asked a question I didn't understand, and then ran away after getting an answer) but most of the panel was about behind-the-scene things, which I prefered personally. The comment I liked the best is the about his 'appreciation' for Disney's Atlantis, and the scene where he says the whole movie comes to a dead stop and where all the characters 'vomit' their life story around a fire :D.

After that, I headed to the registration desk to see if I was included in the radio play, which I wished I wasn't because I was starting to have second (and third and fourth) thoughts about it. And I got a part (unfortunately :) ), that of Lexington. But all in all, I was more glad than scared because now,I didn't have any excuse not to participate. We did the rehearsals and we learned that we were going to play 'The Journey'. I had four lines in all, and I was told to play them a bit more sarcastic and suspicious, but Greg didn't talk about my volume, so at least I got that part good.

The play itself was great and exciting, even though I was really nervous. I just hope my accent didn't show too much. Everyone was great, and I especially liked the people who did Eliza, Castaway, Vinny and Fleance. After it was over, I got Greg to sign my script, which was awesome since I didn't think we were going to keep them.

I then finish voting for the art contest. Too bad some of the one I would have voted for done by members of the staff. Alas, I didn't get the time to vote for the music video. There wasn't much left for me to do today, since I couldn't go to the banquet and I didn't feel like hanging around until the maskerade. If not for my sister and her boyfriend, I would have taken up the offer of the guy who was looking for a partner in harassing local pizza places in order to get what he wanted.

Sunday

I was planning to go to the Gargoyles biology panel, but I was so tired that I pretty much slept until 11h00. I got to the con at around 12h30 and hung out in the dealers room until Keith David's Mug-A-Guest. I got my Anthology signed by the authors who were present, and I even met Stormy, whom I knew from a Transformers board I visit. I was actually surprised that she remembered my nickname (I remembered afterward that I had reviewed one of her Transformers stories a few months prior). I also talked a lot with the lady from FPS magazine (who's name I forgot, dammit!) about sci-fi and fantasy conventions in Canada. She was really nice, and was lucky to get a big hug from Keith David when he arrived.

Keith really surprised me. I mean, I was a big fan of his voice work, having heard him as Goliath (and in a kids show on PBS called Reading Rainbow where he once narrated a story), and, well, he just has a gorgeous voice! I was glad that people didn't ask him too many questions about his characters, because it's embarassing when fans can't separate the character and the actor behind it. Still, he impressed me a lot because he didn't hesitate to speak about his characters and their motivations (which reminded me of Greg's seminar about finding your character's intent). He was also very heartwarming and charming, and after finally seeing a picture of Sally Richardson, I understood why he said staying on the mike while acting with her was difficult :)

Then finally came the time for the closing ceremony. I was sad to have to go immediately after it ended, because I would have loved to stay for the lazer tag game later on and La Ronde on monday, but I had to get home to go to work tomorrow. I barely had enough time to take the subway to my sister's place, pack my things, eat supper at a local greek restaurant with her and her boyfriend, taking the subway again and finally catching my carpool for Quebec City.

You can be certain that if I don't lose my job during the next year, I'm going to save up for Gathering 2005 in Vegas next year. It's going to be a lot funnier to be able to stay for the whole thing, and at least I'll know a few people this time!

The Sadistic Cow writes...

The Gathering '04

Day 1

Alex Garg and Leo picked me up. And they was so nice. ^____^ Alex got a scratching post and an Arnold chew toy type thing for Squidgy (my cat), and got me a replacement pair of earphones as a belated birthday goft...cuz my cat is insane and tore mine apart a few days before. o.O And Leo took a lot of pictures of my kitty, so yay!

The drive. We drove. For many hours, we drove. We first got sorta lost in Toronto, seeing as how that city is insane and none of us really knew where we were going. Trying to follow the map was somewhat difficult, but thank God it wasn't me trying to read directions - I'll get lost in a paper bag. YAYE for Leo, who helped guide us out of the city!

Oh, and we saw a Condom Shop (named that, too) while going through Toronto. And I think we saw the "homosexual" side of town (or, I think, that's what Leo (or somebody, can't remember who) commented on so I guess I'll have to assume we were in the gay community's natural habitat or some such nonsense like that :P). Nevermind the enormous lineup I saw which was where I think Bill Clinton was signing his book for the mob who seem to take more interest in American politicians than Canadian.

Curse you, you un-patriotic blockheads.

Anyway, we made a few "pee stops" before we charged down on Kingston with all of our combined fan fury. We got lost there, too, and had to keep talking to Lord Sloth on Alex Garg's cell phone. Dude, I mean really - we should have gone left but we went right. Right? Right. Yeah. But we finally did manage to find Lord Sloth's house, and he joined us in our romp through Ontario and into Quebec.

And now we reach the roads of Quebec. FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! Honestly...those roads were insane. We got lost there, too - and so many times we came close to the Delta Centre-ville and then made a wrong turn and ended back up on the interstate practically. Eh heh heh. And here I thought Canadians were law-abiding for the most part when it came to roads, and I was expecting similar driving in Montreal that I usually see in Hamilton.

Did I get what I expected? UM. NO. I never expected Montreal drivers to be as crazy as they were, ignoring the one lane that held two cars side by side. There is no way to describe that street; but there were three lanes and in the middle one you could just barely shove two cars side by side...and there was no dividing line in there anywhere!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! And the drivers were crazy. So...yeah. Nutbars.

We finally made it to the hotel. Checked in, went up to our room, and got unpacked. Poor Alex had to shuttle so many people while Leo, Lord Sloth (who got there after checking in at the hostel) and I lazed about in the room. And it seemed Alex had just missed Denis, who took a shuttle (or a cab, not sure which) to the hotel... customs I think gave poor Denis a problem. Yeesh.

Leo and I then went downstairs and mingled with other Gathering folks. Fun times. Met Mara, and she told me I was shorter and cuter than what she thought I was. o_O And I have my place in the fandom now - I am the owner of the "wrong" Brooklyn/Malibu pic that I use for my LJ icon. Yay, go me! I'm KNOWN! XD

So when Alex finally got back, we all about went to bed. Lord Sloth returned to the hostel and we all just crashed, exhausted from our adventure.

Day 2

We had breakfast with Ellen and a couple other people. I think it was me, Denis, Leo, Alex, Kathy, Ellen and a few others...though who they were completely slipped my mind. Then we went sight-seeing. Saw lots of cool stuff, like the awesome cathedral and horse-drawn carriages. We also thundered through China-town, something I've never done before, and it was amazing. Simply fantastic.

We also attended many Gathering who-diddlies, which was also fun. I'm skipping over things right now because a) I can't remember *all* of it, and b) I am extremely tired. But I witnessed "Get Stuffed" as the Clan Olympics game during the opening ceremonies, and that was a fun, fun time.

I kept to myself somewhat, browsed the artist alley for most of the day... it's not easy being a n00b. :P I tried but I was still frazzled... met Hudson and a bunch of other people, finally saw a few of my favourite artist's floating around and was pleased with that. But, thanks to my medication I was forced into a state of mind where I wasn't all there in the head, so I can't really remember a lot of it.

But I will say that I despise the elevators at that hotel. Evil, evil things - and it didn't help at all when Leo jumped in the elevator. Scared the crap out of me and I yowled at him for it. XD

Went to the Blue Mug-A-Guest for a while, where Leo's and my screengrab collaboration was passed around, much to the amuement of a lot of people. I didn't stay too long because by that time my medication was kicking in and I would have ended up falling asleep where I sat (which was right next to Greg at his feet, eeeee! XD).

Day 3

Wandered around the panels for a while. Attended the Gargoyles Biology 101 panel, hosted by the fantabulous Dylan Blacquiere (sp? and I think it was Day 3 that I did that.... o_O). He rules, man. I love that guy. And the panel was interesting, I really enjoyed it. I also went to the Radio Play, which was super fun; maybe if I can make it there next year I'll try out. It looked fun. ^_^

More riding on the elevator ensued that day, and I got a lot of nosebleeds for some reason. Maybe it was the height and the constant going up and down on the elevators. o_O But, anyway, it was gross.

Spent a lot of time down in the restaurant we had breakfast with Ellen in, drinking coffee and losing myself in my thoughts. Alex joined me there for lunch, and we chatted it up for a while before we went about our business.

Picked my mom up a souvenir from Montreal, a glass mug with a Montreal logo on it. Heheheh. I figured I wanted to get her something practical, something that can be used instead of something that won't really be looked at or touched. :P

Then we went to the Banquet. And I discovered that I really don't like quail all that much. LOL But I wasn't feeling wholly good either, I had a bit of a stomach ache and I was feeling tired. But the banquet was fun, and Keith David finally made his appearance there, much to our collective delight. But, seeing as in Regence C there was some sort of party going on, I couldn't hear Keith very well when we got him talking.

And yay! He was on the same floor as me, Alex, Leo and Denis! Bwahaaaaa!

Anyway....

By the time it was over, I was exhausted - again. I went down to Antoine's for a few coffees to stay awake and all that, and I ended up meeting up with Alex Garg, Dylan, Stormy and a few other people. So I stuck around with them, had a couple beers (which was a double whammy, combining meds and booze...o_o) and then went to bed.

Day 4

Closing ceremonies. It was fun, interesting and I was excited about the Gathering being in Las Vegas next year. Suffice to say, as much as I didn't want it all to end I was glad of it, because it was a nice ending to a good time.

We went out to dinner, kinda just wandering around with Ellen, Allaine, Princess Alexandria and my little group. Then we headed back to the hotel, I sucked back a coffee because I wanted to go with Leo, Ellen and Alex to Mount-Royal. So, yeah, I sucked back a coffee and was ready and rarin' to go. A brief moment of rest and relaxation in the midst of all the excitement.

And hooo boy, was it ever a walk. By the time we reached the topmost part where we could look out over the city I was sweating buckets, but I enjoyed the romp through the forest and the lovely greenery that surrounded us. I never thought there'd be so many hills in Montreal. LOL!

We stood up there looking out over the city for a while, just admiring the view. It was simply GORGEOUS. If anyone visits Montreal again, I would suggest going up there. The walk is long and painful, but it is worth it beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Leo, Ellen and Alex took a lot of pictures.

Anyway, we took the long way back and I was blind for the most part because it was dark outside by the time we decided to mosey along. We took a slight detour/short cut type thing on the way back and ended up in a nice Irish pub for about half an hour or so, at which point I took a moment to take the most well-earned whiz of my life. Thank you, Ellen. LOL.

We sat for a while, had a drink, and then went back to the hotel, whereupon I crashed pretty quickly.

And, yes, I am skipping out on a lot of details. Truth be told it's all a blur now, it was all exciting and fun and I loved it. So much happened and things I saw, words can't even describe.

Oh, and on a couple of side notes I forgot to mention before:

Leo and I got Keith David to say, "I love you Thailog" and another "naughty" bit. :P (and, yes, we have proof. And, no, it wasn't our idea - we did it for Demona Taina.)

And I got to sit on Keith David's lap, got a kiss on the temple from him and got him laughing at the screengrab collaboration Leo and I came up with, with my text and his screengrabs put to a dirty theme. And Keith signed my Pheonix Gate Anthology with an amusing little note, "To Kelly, of the active, very active imagination. (I'm scared of you). Love, Keith David". And told me he "likes how I think". ^____^ YAY! I so happy. XD

End.